Iran, Russia, Turkey say will jointly enforce Syria ceasefire

TEHRAN: Iran, Russia and Turkey will establish a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire in Syria, prevent any provocations and determine exactly how the ceasefire will work, the three nations said in a joint statement.

Concluding the Syria talks in Astana, Tehran, Moscow and Ankara also said they supported the willingness of the armed opposition groups to participate in the next round of negotiations to be held in Geneva on Feb. 8 and the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254.

It was not immediately clear whether Syrian opposition or the Damascus government backed the communique.

According to AFP news agency, separately, UN agencies and aid groups appealed on Tuesday for $4.63 billion (4.31 billion euros) in 2017 to help Syrians who have fled their country’s war and sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

The appeal is on top of the $3.4 billion that the UN estimates is needed this year for the 13.5 million people still in Syria who have been affected by the conflict.

“Syrian refugees and host communities need our support now more than ever,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told an international aid conference in Helsinki.